Ramadan, the fasting month for Muslims will soon be here. In a week’s time, Muslims all over the world will start their fast beginning with the ’sahur’ when we eat a meal before the break of dawn to last us through the day and ending with the ‘iftar’ when we break our fast with dates and water followed by a meal. This will be the first year I greet the fasting month away from my family and even before Ramadhan starts, I already feel nostalgia greeting me just thinking about how past iftar sessions were like with them.

I enjoyed going to the Bazaar Ramadhan, where food vendors would cook and sell their delicacies ranging from drinks to desserts at the void decks of housing flats. Usually, mom would cook for iftar, but dad and I would be tasked to buy some desserts from the Bazaar. It was always fun to pick these out with dad. Among our favourites were Kuih Dadar (mom’s fav), Air Kathirah (my fav), Kuih Nagasari (dad’s fav), Kuih Pinang a.k.a Apam Balik (hubby’s fav) and my sister’s fav was sampling everyone’s fav! And Ramadhan was always such a special month because each iftar was a celebration of one having completed one day of fasting. Oh! Don’t get me wrong. It’s not a celebration in the sense that we stuffed ourselves with food to make up for a whole day’s worth of fasting! It’s a celebration because the dishes set on the table are usually ’special’. Dishes which we don’t typically cook every other day. And having desserts, is one of them.

Just like how these desserts get served at iftar back home to make the Ramadhan month feel more special. I want my children to feel how special this month is to Muslims and one sure way was to serve these at iftar.  I thought it would be great to recreate some of these favorites in my own kitchen and make these a labor of love. So I started off with trying out the Kuih Dadar. It’s a simple traditional Malay kuih which consists of a pandan flavored crepe with a sweet coconut filling.

Ingredients for crepe: (makes about 10)

1/2 cup of all purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 cup of evaporated milk/coconut milk
1 tbsp of melted butter (optional)
1 tsp sugar
pinch of salt
1/2 tsp pandan paste

Method:

1. Mix flour, sugar and salt.
2. In a separate bowl, beat eggs lightly.
3. Add milk and melted butter to the eggs.
4. Using a whisk, pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, whisking constantly.
5. Add the pandan paste and whisk until the batter is smooth. If necessary, sieve to remove lumps.
6. On an 8-inch non-stick pan, pour the batter to cover at least half of the base of the pan.
7. Swirl the pan around so that the batter completely covers the base. You will get a nice thin circular crepe. See video below
   
8. On low heat, cook the crepe until you see bubbles appear on the surface OR the sides start to look crispy and the top dry.
9. Flip and cook the other side for a minute or two.
10. Remove from pan and place it on a clean plate with the side of the crepe which you cooked first touching the plate. The filling will be placed on the side of the crepe you cooked second.
11. Once filled with filling. Serve warm as a dessert or a tea time snack.

Filling: 

1/2 cup dark brown sugar (adjust the sweetness accordingly)
1/2 cup grated coconut - without skin
1/4 cup water + a pinch of salt

Method:

1. In a small saucepan, combine all the ingredients and cook on slow fire stirring all the time.
2. When the mixture thickens, until the consistency of a paste, remove from stove.
3. Set aside and use when cool.

How to fold the Kuih Dadar (cont’ from video)

 1. Place the crepe on a plate with the second side facing up

2. Place a tablespoon of the filling in the center of the crepe. Spread it out.

3. Fold the sides inwards.

 4. Fold the bottom to cover the filling. You might need to fold it twice if it is a bit big.

 5. Fold one more from the bottom towards the top edge. Place on the serving plate with the folded edge tucked below.

(As for the slightly blur and grainy pictures, I forgot that the lighting in the kitchen can be a bit too dim. But lighting was the last thing on my mind when I have a scrumptious Kuih Dadar staring at me - just willing me to devour it!) 

Tips:

• Keep excess filling in a freezer storage bag and refrigerate. When ready to use again, put it in a saucepan and heat it on very low heat until it returns to its original state. You might need to add about half a tablespoon of water to start the reheating process. The same filling can be used for ondeh-ondeh as well.
• In place of dark brown sugar, you can use brown sugar, cane sugar, gula melaka. Remember to adjust amount accordingly as different types of sugar give a different intensity of sweetness. 
• It is important to put the filling on the second side of the crepe so that the crepe has a smooth appearance once rolled.
• I prefer my filling slightly moist. If you prefer a drier filling, adjust the amount of water used.
• Use a non-stick pan. It makes life easier. Otherwise, you might need to very lightly grease your pan.